


Love through the Heart of Battle

by Faeronthewanderer



Category: RWBY
Genre: Blood and Injury, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Martial Arts, Rival Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-07
Updated: 2017-06-17
Packaged: 2018-11-10 01:25:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11116965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Faeronthewanderer/pseuds/Faeronthewanderer
Summary: It's been some weeks since team RWBY helped saved Beacon from falling to the Grimm and ultimately foiling the White Fangs plot. While doing her usual training, Yang discovers a familiar enemy who also attends the gym and the two duel it out to see who is truly better.(Takes place sometime after the end of Vol.2)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> An idea that I came up with on a whim, my laptop is out due to a faulty charger so I typed up all of this using my iPad. If there's any weird editing thing, please let me know and I'll fix it on Friday when my laptop is up and runnin. Nonetheless, enjoy

“Eyup!” Yang lifted the giant wheel onto its vertical base before pushing down on the floor. She repeated the motion: her sun-kissed skin was rippling with muscle. Long-blonde hair, usually kept loose, was tied into a large tail. She intentionally wore a matching black sports bra and trunks with red flames to the gym today to show off her well-toned physique for any guy or gal to admire and she indeed gained some looks during her workout session. She enjoyed the attention, almost thrived on it as she seemed to work even harder when the eyes of others are on her. Pushing the wheel onto the floor again, she exhaled loudly as she took a quick moment to breathe.

Amethyst eyes wandered around the room, looking at the others who were doing their own thing. The gym was large, well funded with most equipment being the latest model and even had a large boxing ring for sparring. It was there that her eyes locked onto a cute brunette who wore her hair in a braid. She wore a white, martial arts gi and despite her small frame, was landing powerful kicks against the large sandbag. Yang didn't realize that she zoned out watching the fluidity of her movements until she stopped to take a break. Piercing blue eyes turned to Yang and the brunette gave a soft smile. Yang could feel the heat rushing to her face and she very quickly returned to her workout.

Later that day, Yang stood in the gym’s locker room as she struggled to free the tie that was stuck in her long mane. Shoes and socks were removed and a towel was thrown around the shoulders as Yang prepared to wash away the fatigue from her session.

“Fucking!” She said in frustration before finally getting the hair tie out. She ran a hand through her hair to fluff it out, stuffing the tie into her bag. She saw someone out of the corner of her eye suddenly and hunter instincts kicked in, immediately spinning around while maintaining a neutral expression on her face. She expected to see a muscled guy trying to hit on her but, instead it was the brunette from earlier, still in her gi, giggling at Yang’s reaction, causing the blonde to blush a bit.

 _Man, she's cuter up close._ Yang thought, looking around to see if there was any around. Seeing that the close was clear, she leaned against the locker with her arms crossed and a sly grin on her face.

“How you doin’?” Yang immediately switched into flirting mode, “I saw you training with the heavy bag earlier. Those kicks looked pretty sick.”

The brunette bowed slightly, thanking Yang in a nonverbal manner.

“You don't have a sparring partner?” Yang asked, the brunette shrugged while shaking her head, moving her hands behind her back nonchalantly.

“Then maybe you and I can trade some blows then? I should warn you, I’m pretty strong.” Yang flexed an arm to prove her point. The brunette seemed to marvel at Yang’s physique, reaching up to touch Yang’s bicep. Her tiny fingers grazed up Yang’s skin, causing Yang to flinch briefly. The girl started to trace over each space in between the muscles, Yang was content with just watching and being lost in the girl’s eyes. Suddenly, she felt herself get pushed into the locker back first.

Yang as about to scream out in surprise before the noise was cut off by a foot pressing itself against her throat. Yang looked at the girl’s eyes and noticed that what were once a beautiful, sky blue were now a pair mismatched eyes: the right pink, the left white. Instantly, Yang recognized her as the girl that bested her back on the train that the White Fang were controlling.

“You!” Yang moved to pry herself from the locker but, Neo pushed her back into place, curling her toes around Yang’s neck. Yang could feel herself boiling from seeing that aggravating smirk of Neo and the embarrassment if even being remotely attracted to her. She clenched her fists but, knew that Neo had her in checkmate, exhaling the anger from her body.

Neo put a finger to her lips to shush the hunter, reaching into her uniform and pulling out a scroll. Neo started to quickly tap at the screen while still keeping her foot on Yang, eventually flashing the screen at her.

“ _You look like you've been bulking up. I wouldn't mind seeing if all that muscle actually made you a better fighter.”_

Yang grit her teeth as Neo typed up more words on her scroll, flashing them at Yang once more.

“ _How about you and I go a round tomorrow night after the gym closes? No weapons, no semblance, just fists.”_

Yang sucked in air between her teeth, glaring at Neo, “You’re on!”

Neo smirked, slipping the scroll back into her gi and blew a kiss at Yang before releasing her. Yang bent over, coughing a bit while she massaged her neck, looking up to see that Neo was suddenly gone without leaving a single trace of her. Yang clicked her tongue against her teeth as she picked out her fresh clothes from the bag and proceeded to the showers as she originally intended, thinking about the next night.

* * *

 

  
Yang stood outside of the gym doors, there was a note taped on the glass that said the place is all ours written in pink. This time Yang was wearing a yellow t-shirt, black and track pants with yellow flames, black sneakers and black sweatbands worn on each wrists. Yang wasn't sure why she was trusting Neo to honor the rules of the fight but, Yang saw an opportunity to get some payback from what happened back in the train. With a breath, she pulled open the doors and walked in.

It had only been an hour since closing time and yet the place was completely empty: no staff, no lingering dudebros, nobody. The only person that Yang could find in the main room was Neo sitting on her knees, wearing the same uniform she wore yesterday but, now her hair was it’s usual colors of pink and brown with white streaks. Neo smirked as she got to her feet, Yang walking towards the very center of the room that was dimly lit by the moon outside.

“Didn't think you would make a space to have us fight in private.” Yang said, taking off shirt to reveal a yellow and black sports bra with her symbol emblazoned on it. She could see Neo's eyes quickly taking the sight of Yang’s broad shoulders and the curvature of her chest and gave an approving wink.

“Don't give me that look! So as you can see, I didn't bring any weapons, I assume you also didn't bring any?”

Neo nodded but, Yang wasn't that trusting.

“Prove it.” The tone was firm, Neo sighed and gave her an annoyed look. Yang returned the expression mockingly and Neo rolled her eyes but, conceded to the demands. She undid her black belt, holding it in one hand while she opened up her gi jacket: showing off a body lean with muscle. Yang took note of the lace bra as well as the scroll positioned comfortably in between her breasts. Yang exhaled sharply, pushing away any conflicting thoughts all while Neo grinned wider, she slipped out the scroll and lightly tossed it to the side.

It was nonverbal but, Yang knew that Neo was done messing around. She slid out the scroll from her pocket and tossed it in the opposite direction while Neo tightened the belt around her waist once more.

“I'm putting you out tonight! As payback for what happened on that train.” Yang bounced on her toes, cracking her knuckles while Neo slid into a fighting stance, bare toes gripping the mat underneath. With a roar, Yang rushed forward and swung with a vicious right that met nothing but, air. Yang looked around and heard giggling, Neo suddenly behind smiling.

“Shit!” Yang jumped away, not giving Neo a chance to do anything. Yang didn't sense any semblance being used, the thought that Neo was so much quicker didn't sit well with her. Neo motioned Yang to bring it, using two fingers and that was enough for Yang to clench her fists and rushed again, throwing a left this time that yielded no results. This time Neo pushed her playfully from behind, causing Yang to stumble forward.

“Damn it! Stop messing around!” Yang spun around and swung at Neo who stood in place. As her fist was about to reach her foe, Yang’s face suddenly felt her face getting pushed in caused by Neo countering with a snap front kick. Neo took hold of Yang’s wrist and strung two more successive kicks to the face before slamming her foot against Yang’s face again, pushing the sole of her foot directly on top of Yang’s nose and started to twist her face underneath. Yang cried out from underneath, feeling her skin burn from the friction.

Yang used her free hand to grab Neo's ankle and pushed it away, using the moment pull Neo in and slammed her shoulder against Neo's smaller chest. Neo let out a grunt, thrown slightly imbalanced from the impact, Yang pulled in again and this time let go to throw a lariat. Neo however, countered flipping over the charging arm and landed on her feet, an impressive display of acrobatics that was followed up by a back kick that under the jaw of Yang. Yang’s feet left the mat for a moment before landing back on her feet in a daze.

Neo lurched forward and slammed her elbow against Yang’s abdomen, hearing the air escape her lungs. Yang tried to swipe at her but, Neo sidestepped and drove her fist into Yang’s side. Out of frustration, Yang grabbed Neo by the collar of her jacket and chucked her across the room with ease, the smaller fighter tumbling hard on the mat.

That move bought Yang some time to breath, swallowing enough air to help calm the burn she felt in her lungs. As Neo was rising to her feet, Yang noticed at Neo was smiling, the focus in her eyes were there but, there was a light-heartedness to them. Oddly enough, Yang was chuckling under her ragged breaths.

 _Are we...having fun?_ Yang thought to herself as she chased after Neo again. A flurry of punches flew at the smaller girl who deflected them each time. Neo was able to block a front kick, the force of the blow sent her rolling backwards. Yang chased her down and threw a punch, Neo recovered fast enough to avoid the blow, countering with a kick thrown over her shoulder with impressive flexibility. Yang felt water well in her eyes, the taste of copper and iron reached her lips and she found it difficult to breathe through her nose, the blood staining Neo's foot and leg.

Neo grabbed Yang’s wrist, her back still facing Yang and she slammed the point of the elbow against Yang’s stomach. Yang wheeze as the little air she had got pushed out, Neo transitioned to Yang’s back, trapping Yang’s arm in the process and wrapped her free arm around Yang’s neck and started to squeeze tight. Yang let out a short yell, trying to fight off Neo. It was already hard enough to breathe with the busted nose, she wasn't going to last much longer so out of desperation she broke a unspoken rule and slammed her heel against Neo's toes.

Neo screamed out in pain, releasing the hold as she tended to her foot. Yang spun around, using the momentum to slam her fist against Neo's jaw. Neo's body spun around and Yang followed up with a powerful pun that drilled into Neo's stomach, her body almost folding over the arm. The force sent Neo rolling several feet away, eventually stopping as she laid on the mat. Yang’s breathing was getting heavier and heavier, crimson flowed from her nose and dripped onto the black mats underneath. Her body was screaming for rest, her mind was telling her to hurry up and finish the job, her heart was racing with excitement. This was technically her enemy and yet, Yang was enjoying this, a bit more than she would like to admit.

Yang slowly started to approach Neo as the smaller girl began to stir. Yang admired Neo for several things: there was admiration for her beauty, her skill and sure Neo tried to kill her once but, Yang did like girls who could kick her ass. As Yang approached Neo, Neo got to her feet looking a bit better than Yang but, was still hurting. Xiaolong looked to finish the battle, both hands reaching towards Neo, Neo caught both hands into hers, slim fingers interlocking with Yangs. Neo could feel Yang’s strength and grinned though not with her usual smugness. There was a genuine feeling to that grin that Yang couldn't place, mainly due to the sudden pain that shot through both of her arms from Neo twisting her wrists hard. In the moment, Neo's foot once more connected against Yang’s face with a hard kick. Another kick was thrown at Yang’s right knee, bringing her down to Neo's level.

Neo released Yang from her vice grip and threw a powerful roundhouse kick that slammed against Yang’s, a loud crack echoed around the gym as Yang fell to the mat with a heavy thud. The two breathed heavily for a moment, Neo nudging Yang to her back, the blonde still conscious but, no longer had the strength to keep going. Neo slowly walked over Yang and the two locked eyes for a moment. Neo blew a kiss at Yang and for a moment, had a somewhat apologetic look on her face before lifting a foot over Yang and dropped it hard, Yang’s vision going black.

 

* * *

 

Yang awoke to the familiar fluorescent lights of the lounge area in the gym, still no sign of life in the building but, a brutal migraine kept her company. A low groan escaped her as she slowly rose from the leather couch that acted as her bed, her scroll placed on a table nearby along with a bottle of painkillers and bottled water. She moved her hand over nose to find a bandage and the lack of blood staining her fingers. She picked up her scroll, noticing multiple messages and missed calls from her teammates but, there was one that piqued her interest.

She tapped the screen and an image of Neo posing over Yang loaded up: a foot placed on the chest, Yang visibly knocked out while Neo holding out a peace sign with her tongue playfully sticking out and winking. A message was typed underneath the picture that read:

_“Well that was certainly fun! I knew you were interesting when we fought on the train and you seem to have mutual interest. While work may have us on opposite sides, I wouldn't mind doing this again with you so I recorded my number into your scroll. If you ever want a rematch then just let me know. I also took the time to clean you up and left the back door unlocked, I know the owner so don't worry. Anyway, hope you enjoyed your nap!”_

Yang smirked as she popped open the bottle of painkillers, poured two pills and downed with them with water as she dialed up Ruby’s number. She had some explaining to do.


	2. Love through the Heart of Battle -Gold-

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An alternative ending to the original fic. If you haven't read the original, please go back and read it first.

  
...Neo screamed out in pain, releasing the hold as she tended to her foot. Yang spun around, using the momentum to slam her fist against Neo's jaw. Neo's body spun around and Yang followed up with a powerful punch that drilled into Neo's stomach, her body almost folding over the arm. The force sent Neo rolling several feet away, eventually stopping as she was laid out on the mat. Yang’s breathing was getting heavier and heavier, crimson flowed from her nose and dripped onto the black mats underneath. Her body was screaming for rest, her mind was telling her to hurry up and finish the job, her heart was racing with excitement. This was technically her enemy and yet, Yang was enjoying this, a bit more than she would like to admit.

Yang slowly started to approach Neo as the smaller girl began to stir. Yang admired Neo for several things: there was admiration for her beauty, her skill and sure Neo tried to kill her once but, Yang did like girls who could kick her ass. As Yang approached Neo, Neo got to her feet looking a bit better than Yang but, was still hurting. Neo suddenly threw a kick that hit clean against Yang's thigh, another kick aimed at the other side causing Yang to buckle briefly under the weight. Neo dashed forward, her right palm sent towards Yang with incredible speed but, the blonde was able to move her head just fast enough to dodge. That brief moment allowed Yang to counter, slamming her knee into the chest of Neo.  
  
A wheeze came from Neo's smaller frame, stumbling back slightly but, Yang pursued her foe, connecting with blistering hooks that rocked Neo back and forth. The force of each blow caused Neo's eyes to shift color with every impact from pink, to brown, to white and into every combination imaginable. The final punch left Neo dazed on her feet, her mis-matched eyes glazed over as Yang lurched forward, giving Neo a playful wink before she slammed her fist under Neo's jaw. Yang let out a near-inhuman roar as the uppercut carried Neo high into the air, her body crashing onto the mat with a sick thud.  


Yang fell to a kneel, her lungs burning from the exertion, heart racing from the adrenaline. She kept an eye on Neo who was on her side, an arm draped over her but, hadn't move after taking the uppercut. Yang willed herself back up to her feet and limped towards Neo before falling back to her knees again. Neo's eyes were shut, seeing the rise and fall of her chest made Yang breathe a little bit easier as she worried that she might've gone to far with that last strike. Still, now Yang faced a dilemma. Here was one of her enemies, an ally to Torchwick and collaborator with the White Fang, knocked out and will be for some time. She has the time to call the police and put her in jail.  
  
On the other side of the coin, Yang just wanted to carry her to back and tend to the bruising. Despite their differences, Neo actually kept her word about keeping this an honest fight when she could've easily just had a bunch of goons ambush Yang. There was also the mutual feeling the two had during the fight. Yang could sense that there was something there with Neo during the whole exchange. There was a brief pause in her thought process before Yang's face contorted in annoyance.  
  
“Oh Goddammit!” She yelled out in frustration, slamming her fist onto the mat. Yang reached towards Neo and scooped her up into her arms. Yang rose to her feet again, groaning from the extra weight as she cautiously cradled Neo, tiny legs dangling from her arms.  
  
“Can't believe I'm gonna help this girl recover.” The sigh was drawn out dramatically, each step she took caused her to go ow as the adrenaline began to wore off.  
  


* * *

 

Neo groaned as she slowly rose, the realization that she was in the lounge area of the gym hit her relatively quickly. The pounding headache she was having also meant that she lost against Yang. She rubbed her temples for a moment before checking herself, seeing bandages wrapped around two of her toes from when Yang slammed her heel against them, her gi jacket was open and she could see the heating pads taped to her abdomen. Neo turned to her scroll laying on the small table along with a small note that was handwritten. Neo slid her legs over so her feet could touch the floor, picking up the note, she began to read:  
  
_“Hey, good fight back there! Not really something I tend to say to people who tried to kill me before but, you seem...different? You are pretty badass, almost as badass as me and I kinda wanna fight you again so I wrote down my scroll number so you can talk to me anything time. Technically, we are tied up so there's gotta be a tie-breaker at some point right? Well, anyway I'll see you around._  
  
P.S. It's really infuriating how cute you are.  
  
Yang  
  
Neo scoffed at the note, smiling as she realized that Yang's confidence was adorable. She did had a lot more fun fighting Yang then she would've anticipated, made better by the fact that it wasn't as one-sided as their first encounter. Curious to see how things can go, Neo picked up her scroll and unlocked the device – tapping onto her contacts page and began to type the newest addition to her list.

 


End file.
